The Closet
by WraithTemplar
Summary: During his training on Kamino, CT-4901, aka Cooper, found himself drawn to a supply closet. In a way, he considered it a safe haven from the harsh realities of life as a clone cadet. Someone had discovered him holed up in that closet twice now...and then there was the one time he discovered someone else.
1. Chapter 1

The flickering of the damaged lights caused him to stir.

Slowly, the cadet wearily opened his eyes. It looked like he was in a supply room of some sort. He could tell easily from the shelves containing spare bits of machinery. The door hid behind one of the shelves, beckoning to him.

 _What happened?_ The cadet thought. Last he checked, he was on his way back to the barracks. So how did he end up in here?

The boy started to sit up, feeling the pain in his back subside. He tried bringing his hands around to his face, only to discover he couldn't. He felt around and noticed his hands were tied behind his back; his feet were similarly tied together. Beginning to panic, the young clone tried calling out, but the gag in his mouth prevented it. And then the pieces clicked.

Those other cadets, the ones he had ratted out. They did this to him.

He remembered now. He overheard some of his fellow cadets' conversations with each other. The group that had left him hog-tied had spoken about how their training wasn't moving quickly enough. The conversation had been so subtle that he thought the other cadets had been joking when they spoke about sneaking into the armories.

They weren't joking. He knew they weren't because he saw them fiddle with the lock. He'd felt naturally obligated to do the right thing, and so, he told the two troopers on security detail what he knew.

Apparently, the perpetrators didn't like that. The poor boy could tell from the hateful looks on their faces, long before they knocked him out with a blow to the head.

Eventually, the boy tried to break free from his bonds again, but the ropes didn't budge. What were they made out of, durasteel? His heart and mind raced as he tried to figure out a way to escape. Even if he managed to cut the ropes, he had a sneaking suspicion the assailants had locked the door to the closet. But nonetheless, the cadet continued to struggle, only stopping when he felt like he would end up dislocating his shoulder.

Minutes passed, and then an hour, and then the poor clone wasn't sure anymore. In all his six years of training on Kamino, he'd never been drilled on how to escape the wrath of his fellow cadets. He squirmed and pulled one more time at his restraints, but they still wouldn't break, no matter how hard he pulled. Discouraged, the young clone leaned his back against the wall, tears threatening to spill from his brown eyes. There was no hope for him. He wouldn't make it out. He was going to die here, alone, forgotten until someone stumbled upon his withered corpse.

Having resigned himself to defeat, the boy squeezed his eyes shut. He was close to falling asleep when he heard a noise.

It sounded like…a lock-pick?

Curiosity and hope filled the young cadet as he lifted his head. The door slid open a split second later. A petite woman stumbled through, her dark hair resting on her shoulders as she grabbed onto a nearby shelf. "Damn locks," she muttered, loud enough for the cadet to hear. It seemed like she didn't know he was in the room with her. The clone shifted from where he sat, and tried fumbling around with the ropes again, this time hoping to get the woman's attention.

He was unaware that he'd knocked something over until he heard the woman clamber back with a yelp.

"Seriously!" she fumed. "Is everything in this room trying to kill me?"

The cadet instinctively tried to back away, for fear of angering the newcomer further. That was when he noticed her emerald eyes trail over to where he lay.

"Hello?" the woman voiced. "Is anyone there?"

"Hey! Help me! I'm trapped," was what the cadet wanted to yell, but because of the gag, all that came out were a few muffled shouts.

The woman's eyes widened as she finally found the source of the noise. Her eyes widened further once she was finished pulling back the shelf that concealed the young clone. "What the hell?" she whispered, more out of shock than anything else. As she set about looking for something to cut him free, the boy's eyes wandered to the object on her belt.

 _Is that what I think it is?_ The boy pondered. _It is!_

A lightsaber. Of all the people who could've noticed the cadet's absence, it had to be a Jedi. He could hardly contain his excitement. The clone had heard story after story of the Jedi's heroics, but he never thought he'd meet one in person.

"I don't know about you," the Jedi muttered as she cut the ropes around his wrists, "but when I find out who did this, I'm tossing them into the ocean."

In a matter of minutes, the crude restraints around his hands and feet were gone. The boy removed the gag as feeling slowly returned to his limbs. "Thanks," he stammered.

"Don't mention it," the woman replied. "So, would you mind explaining how you got into this mess?"

The cadet opened his mouth to reply, but snapped it shut just as quickly. He couldn't tell her. If he did, chances are those cadets would do worse than leave him tied up in a supply closet. He'd never broken a bone or endured any serious injury before, but he didn't want to take the risk.

"It's all right," the woman reassured him, noticing his concern. "I'm not going to hurt you." Slowly, the Jedi sat down, a tired sigh escaping her lips.

A moment of silence passed before she spoke again. "You got a name, kid?" she asked.

CT-4901. That was the only name he'd ever known. Some jokesters even occasionally called him "No Name" when it became clear that he didn't have one. The boy simply shrugged his shoulders in response, discouraged.

"Oh. That's all right. I'm sorry I asked," the Jedi replied.

"Don't apologize," the clone mumbled, finally finding the courage to speak. "I've grown used to it."

The woman steadily climbed to her feet, lending the cadet a helping hand. "Come on," she suggested. "Let's get you out of here."

As they began the slow walk back to the barracks, the clone spoke up. "So…how long was I cooped up in there?"

"About a couple hours," the Jedi answered wearily. "Just enough time for your friends to grow worried about you."

"Oh, great," the cadet groaned. How was he going to explain this to his brothers? They'd probably dismiss the whole ordeal as some cruel prank. His sergeant probably would berate him for missing his training courses in the afternoon.

"Don't dwell on it too much," the woman optimistically replied. "I'm sure you'll figure something out, Cooper."

Wait, what? What did she call him?

"Cooper?" the cadet repeated, confused by the woman's choice of words.

"I got to call you something, don't I?" she said, noticing the clone's puzzled look.

Cooper. The name was outlandish, really. The boy figured it was the Jedi's way of turning the whole 'locked in the closet' trick into a joke. He didn't feel like laughing, however. He'd been on the receiving end of many pranks during his lifetime. One time, he'd ended up sprinting out of the barracks, convinced there were voices coming from the walls. As it turns out, it was simply his fellow cadet, Blaze, pretending to be a ghost.

After what seemed like ten minutes of pacing around the pristine corridors, the pair finally arrived at the barracks. "Take care of yourself, you hear?" the woman requested as she opened the door.

"Wait!" the cadet replied. He still had concerns he wanted to ask her about.

"Don't be afraid, kid," she whispered. "Like I said, I'm sure you'll figure something out." With that, she turned her back on the young boy, strolling back down the hallway they came from. Pivoting her head around, the woman looked him in the eye one more time.

"My name's Harlow, by the way," she hollered over her shoulder.

And with that, the Jedi walked away.

* * *

The cadet felt tired, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall asleep that night. There was simply too much rattling around in his head. The situation in the supply closet, the woman who rescued him…the name she gave him.

Part of him hated the fact that the stupid nickname was stuck in his head. After all, he simply wanted to forget the day's events had even happened and move on. The nickname would act as nothing more than a reminder to him.

But deep down, there was another part of him, hidden beneath the surface, that was amazed he finally had a nickname. "Cooper" was a painful reminder of what happened, sure, but it beat "No Name" any day. All this time, he'd been referred to as a number, and as expendable. And all this time, the cadet had been hoping to form his own identity, same as every clone. But now…now the boy had something to call his own, something that made him unique.

Something that made him human.

The name was stuck in the cadet's head.

And admittedly, CT-4901—Cooper—wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

 **Ah, _Star Wars: The Clone Wars._ Good times. Good times.**

 **I loved this show as a kid. I remember watching the very first episode with my dad. It's a real shame that it got cancelled. (Why, Disney? Why?)**

 **Anyway, I plan on continuing this little series, so let me know if I need to improve on anything. Thanks, and have a great day. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Heartbeats shouldn't be this loud. That was what Cooper kept telling himself, as he narrowly avoided another blaster bolt.

The training arena was ablaze with blaster fire. The three cadets huddled behind cover, occasionally picking off a training droid here and there. The danger felt real, but Cooper was all right with that. The boy had grown used to these exercises by now, thanks to his brother, Blaze.

Blaze. When other cadets, such as their brother Rhino, heard the name, they figured the clone was known for ruthlessness. Rumor has it he'd ended up causing so much havoc during a training exercise that fire crews had to rush in, evacuate the arena, and douse the flames. When asked about it, Blaze simply responded by implying that he'd had a rough day. But Cooper didn't see it that way.

Cooper believed Blaze earned his nickname for a different reason. Blaze always was an optimistic cadet, and somehow, he always knew the right words to say to give his fellow cadets hope. At one point, Cooper's training sergeant, Sawyer, remarked that Blaze had the potential to become a squad leader. Blaze was the type to step in and help any fellow trooper, no matter what the situation.

Cooper knew this firsthand.

The cadets' sergeant reminded them that the first training exercise was always the hardest. Cooper couldn't help but agree. After all, the stories the six-year-olds had heard from the older, more experienced troopers could never prepare them for the harsh reality of the training arena. And the training could never prepare them for the unforgivable brutality of the front lines. Cooper experienced two events for the first time that day: a live-fire training exercise, and one heck of a panic attack.

He briefly remembered stumbling to the supply closet that he'd begun using as a safe haven. He'd remembered shutting the door, trying (and failing) to calm himself down. But despite Cooper's attempts to hide, he couldn't hide his anxiety from Blaze. Cooper had been so caught up in his trembling that he'd initially failed to recognize his brother's voice. It took some time, but eventually, Blaze managed to calm Cooper down.

That little incident occurred a few weeks ago.

A familiar voice snapped Cooper back to reality. "Look out!" Rhino warned, shooting a droid that had snuck up behind them.

"Thanks, Rhino," Cooper responded, trying to stay focused on the droids in front of him. One by one, the training droids fell to the combined effort of their blasters. For a second, Cooper thought they'd actually win.

The moment the last droid crumpled to the floor, Sawyer and Harlow stepped forward. Cooper could tell from their faces that they were both pleased with the exercise. "Just when I thought you were done for," Sawyer commented. "What's your thoughts, General?"

"I agree," Harlow replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You did well today, cadets. Though it wouldn't hurt to stay focused every now and then."

"I think she's talking to you," Rhino whispered to Cooper, snickering. Cooper elbowed the cadet in response. Rhino always had a way of picking on his brothers.

The three cadets stood there, listening attentively to the Jedi. "You also need to stick together. Just because you can shoot well doesn't mean you should just…run…off." Harlow suddenly trailed off, her eyes fixed directly behind the boys.

"General?" Sawyer questioned, noticing her concern. Cooper slowly turned his head around, noticing for the first time the training droid that had somehow escaped the chaos. The droid acted…odd. Its arms and head jerked randomly as it moved, almost like it was broken.

"Ugh. I thought I told the tech artists to fix that droid," Sawyer sighed. He pressed the remote to deactivate the machine.

But the droid still kept trudging forward, like a zombie.

"It's not responding," Sawyer replied in frustration.

"Sawyer?" Harlow asked, a hint of warning in her voice. "Cadets, stay back. I need everyone to move back now!"

Her warning came too late.

The droid entered into a half-walking, half-running state, its arms extended menacingly. Rhino was able to roll out of the way in time. Cooper and Blaze both raised their blasters in warning, letting off a shot here and there. Falling back on training, Blaze shoved his brother out of the way, but was unable to dodge as the mechanical wreck swatted him across the floor.

The next few moments were a blur for Cooper. He was dimly aware of several sounds. Screams, blasters firing, Harlow's lightsaber igniting. It took a moment for the Cooper to regain his sense of awareness. But he wished he hadn't as he stared at the horrifying scene.

Blaze was lying on his back, sprawled out on the cold floor. The young clone shook violently though his eyes were still shut. Cooper understood immediately. Blaze was having a seizure. His eyes now widening in anger, Cooper picked up his blaster, and let off a volley of fire at the mechanical monster. The droid, damaged as it was, could only take so much before it slumped to the floor, deactivated for good.

Turning his attention back to Blaze, Cooper rushed to his friend's side. Blaze was shaking even more violently now, his eyes forced shut as drops of blood leaked out of his nose. "Blaze?" Cooper asked, hoping for a response. But his efforts were futile.

"What's wrong with him?" Harlow stuttered in shock, as a Kaminoan stepped in to survey the scene. "Ren Sai, thank the Force. We need to get Blaze under control."

"I'll do what I can, General," the cloner replied, his voice calm even in the midst of chaos. That was one thing Cooper hated about the Kaminoans. He could never tell whether or not they showed any emotion toward his brothers. Ren Sai turned to Cooper and Rhino. "Perhaps it's best if you cadets run along. I'll handle this."

"I agree," Harlow interjected. "I will stay and do what I can." Noticing the cadets' fear, she added, "Your friend will be all right. I promise."

"Fine," Cooper replied, looking Harlow dead in the eye. "Just promise he'll pull through, okay? If anything happens to him…" Cooper wouldn't allow himself to finish the thought.

With that, Cooper and Rhino fled the arena.

* * *

The two cadets walked along the corridor in silence. All the while, Cooper couldn't help but worry for Blaze. What if the seizure leaves Blaze unable to fight? What would happen to him then?

"Hey, you all right?" Rhino asked, derailing Cooper's train of thought.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the latter replied. "Just thinking."

The two continued walking along the corridor. They barely made it five steps before they both heard it.

It was loud, and it echoed from the arena. The noise was definitely a blaster shot. Cooper figured a blaster had accidentally gone off, or something. He hoped Blaze was all right—

The pieces clicked suddenly, and the moment they did, Cooper took off in a sprint toward the arena. "Hey! Wait up!" he heard Rhino shout behind him, but he didn't listen. He had to know the truth. He had to know if Blaze was all right. In a matter of minutes, the boy had made it back to the arena, and was now standing outside the doorway. The door, surprisingly, was left open.

 _Please be alive, Blaze,_ the boy hoped.

"You know this needed to be done," Cooper heard Ren Sai's voice echo in the arena. As he leaned in to watch the conversation, the young clone could barely hold back a gasp. Harlow and Ren Sai both stood over Blaze, arguing with each other. The latter gripped a blaster pistol in his hand. Cooper shook his head in astonishment. Surely they didn't intend to _kill_ Blaze…

"This _never_ needed to be done, Ren Sai!" Harlow sounded just as angry as she sounded scared. Cooper took a sense of dark relief from the fact that he wasn't the only one shocked.

"Well, what did you expect, General? He was brain-dead. Clones fight and die for the Republic every minute. We constantly need to collect data, to enhance their skills, to improve their qualities, and to ensure that mistakes are never made or repeated. And sometimes, to fulfill that goal, certain sacrifices must be made. I thought you would understand, Miss Thornton."

The Kaminoan sounded calm, even though to Cooper, he was anything but. The Kaminoans were perfectionists, after all. They could never tolerate defective clones. One clone from Cooper's batch suffered from vision impairment. The impaired cadet was called over by a Kaminoan scientist during meal time one day. Cooper never saw him again.

"I understand, all right!" Harlow's voice was filled with pure rage, something Cooper never thought a Jedi would be capable of feeling. "I understand that you're out of your mind. We could've done something. Blaze could've survived and recovered. Who's going to tell his brothers what happened?"

Cooper felt his heart clench. The mere thought of Harlow telling him what he already knew saddened him even further.

"What they don't know won't hurt them," Ren Sai smoothly replied. "No one would know." Cooper noticed the Kaminoan's face turn to one of disappointment. "You actually expect me to believe that they would care about one fellow clone, instead of a Republic that they would lay down their lives for, if necessary? No one would care about one simple clone. Not the Republic's citizens, not the Jedi, no one!"

Cooper slowly backed away from the doorway. Tears pooled in his eyes, and his stomach felt like it was going to explode.

Without hesitation, the cadet turned tail and ran. He ran away from the arena, away from the argument, and away from Harlow's voice as she flung insults that would remain unknown to him. He ran from the truth. The boy whipped his head around, desperate for a place where he could hide and collect his thoughts. He couldn't go back to the barracks. Rhino would probably be on Cooper's back about what happened. But there was somewhere else he could hide.

Upon finding the familiar door, Cooper slid into the closet. He tried his best to keep his tears from falling until he closed the door. The intruding noise of the corridor died almost immediately. He was alone. That's what he kept telling himself, but deep down, Cooper knew it was a lie. He could still hear the sound of the blaster, still see Blaze's body. He could still hear the cold tone in Ren Sai's voice.

 _No one would care about one simple clone._

The boy finally let the tears slide down his face as he realized the painful truth. Ren Sai was right. No one would care about one clone. In fact, Cooper was lucky that Harlow had found him to begin with, all those weeks ago. No one else had even tried to look for him. Now that the young clone thought about it, he figured the doctor hadn't even attempted to revive Blaze. It's happened before. Once, back when a clumsy cadet had gotten himself sealed in a smoking compartment, Cooper had gone for help. The Kaminoans, however, just ignored him. With no hope, Cooper had no choice but to comfort the poor cadet. Luckily, Sawyer was able to wrench the door open, put out the fire, and carry the exhausted cadet to the medbay.

Cooper was more than grateful for the silence that protected him from the horror of what he'd witnessed. So when the door finally flew open minutes later, the cadet was about ready to lose his mind. It was almost as if the newcomer was tormenting him on purpose. Silently shifting his head to peek, Cooper was relieved to see that wasn't the case. It was simply Harlow. Her face said it all: she was just as shocked and hurt as he was.

"Hello? Cooper? You in here?" she asked, her voice trembling with anxiety.

Cooper didn't respond. This wasn't like last time, where he'd been begging for someone to notice him. This time, he just wanted to be left alone. After all, Harlow probably had more important things to do than search for an expendable clone. Most Jedi don't even recognize their clone soldiers unless they took their armor off. Why would Harlow act any different?

 _Go away. Please…_ The boy silently begged, pressing his back against the cold, metal shelves.

"Cooper," Harlow voiced. "Look, I just want to talk. Do you have any idea how worried Rhino is?"

The cadet felt his trembling hands curl into fists. He'd had enough. "Why do you care?" he snapped.

He heard the Jedi's footsteps long before she turned the corner. "Cooper?" She carefully approached the boy, and sat down next to him. "You know, if you wanted some time to yourself, you could've just asked," she sighed.

Once again, Cooper stayed silent.

"Hey, listen. About your friend—" she started.

"I know," the clone interrupted. He didn't need her to tell him that Blaze was gone.

"I don't understand," Harlow blurted out, confused.

"I saw him die," Cooper's voice threatened to break as he admitted the truth. "I heard the shot, and—"

"And you came back and saw everything, didn't you?" It was the General's turn to interrupt now. Cooper found it odd that her voice came off as concerned rather than accusing. Slowly, the boy nodded, surprised by the slight gasp that escaped Harlow's lips.

"You…you promised…" he whispered. Harlow had promised that Blaze would be all right. But where was he now? Probably in a morgue somewhere, where the Kaminoans could dissect him and find out what made him tick.

The Jedi threw her arm around the boy, and allowed him to lean on her shoulder. For a short while, they both sat there in the dark confines of the closet, and let the time slip from their grasps. After a few moments, Cooper broke the deafening silence. The question was mumbled so softly that, at first, Harlow barely heard it. But it still struck her heart, nonetheless.

"Do you care about us?"

Harlow found this question difficult to answer. Of course she cared about him, but she had a feeling that wasn't what he meant. Cooper, meanwhile, instantly wished he could take it back. He'd heard stories about Jedi who treated their soldiers as cannon fodder. Most clones considered it foolish to whisper about the Jedi behind their backs, and few would even dare to ask such personal questions to their Generals' faces. Cooper gazed upward, expecting a scolding glare from the Jedi. But all he saw was the worried face of a Jedi who knew what the clones had been through.

"I've always cared, kid," Harlow replied, treating the slip of the tongue like it was nothing. "What would make you think otherwise? I swear, if Ren Sai has been spreading any more damned rumors—"

She was suddenly cut off as the clone buried his face into her shoulder, violent sobs escaping his body. At that moment, he didn't care that he was a soldier. He didn't care that it was considered strange to feel the sadness that he felt. After all, he was still a kid, beneath the surface. To him, this was proof. Proof that Ren Sai was wrong, proof that all of those stories he'd heard were just stories. To him, this was proof that the Jedi _do_ care.

Harlow protectively wrapped her arms around the boy, holding him as he wept for what he had lost. She became barely aware of the silent tears that slid down her own cheeks.

She knew there was little she could do. Sawyer and Rhino would almost certainly back her up, no doubt. Perhaps even her old master, Shaak Ti, could offer some friendly Jedi advice. Harlow knew for a fact that Shaak Ti had personal experience with the clones' training. But other than that, Harlow had little support to guide her. The Kaminoans, being the perfectionists they are, would most likely believe Ren Sai's word over hers. She bitterly laughed at the thought of the Council. They were probably too concerned with the progress of the war to even notice.

For now, it seemed all Harlow could do stay with Cooper and console him as best as she could. She hugged the shaking boy close.

Cooper's sobs finally seemed to slow down. He firmly held onto the General's words, and for the first time the entire day, he felt calm. He believed her. She'd rescued him from this closet, she'd made it a habit to call him and his brothers by their names. She helped him because she cared. The boy barely heard a few words as he felt Harlow lift him up, and carry him back to the barracks.

"You're not expendable to me, Cooper. I promise."

Somehow, Cooper knew Harlow would keep her word this time.


End file.
